Text
Add text to screenshots and image pins, set fonts, strokes, and backgrounds, move, scale, and rotate labels, wrap long lines, and attach arrows.
Use text annotations to add explanations, reminders, or step names to screenshots. Type directly or paste from the clipboard. On a busy image, add a stroke or background to make the text easier to read.
Enter and edit text
For a screenshot, select an area first. On an image pin, press SpaceSpace to show the annotation toolbar.
Click “Text,” or press the default shortcut Shift+8⇧ Shift+8. If the button is in a grouped menu, click the small arrow next to the tool to expand it.
Click where you want the text and start typing. Press EnterEnter for a new line; press Ctrl+V⌘ Command+V to paste text. Rich text from sources such as web pages is inserted as plain text.
Press EscEsc to finish entering text. The text stays; an empty text box is removed automatically.
To make changes, keep the “Text” tool selected and click existing text to continue typing. Drag within the text to select characters, then copy, cut, or delete them.
If you cannot edit it again, check that “Mark secondary editing” is set to “Enable” or “Only Text Annotation Available.” Use Ctrl+C⌘ Command+C to copy selected characters; to duplicate the entire text annotation, use dragging to duplicate in the basics.
Set the font and size
From left to right, the style bar below contains bold, italics, stroke, background, font, font size, and the color palette. Set a style before typing, or change it after selecting existing text. These styles apply to the entire text annotation.
| What to adjust | How |
|---|---|
| Font | Choose a font installed on your computer from the font dropdown |
| Font size | Choose a size from the dropdown, or move the mouse over the image and scroll |
| Bold and italics | Click the corresponding button to turn it on; click again to turn it off |
| Text color | Choose a color in the palette on the right of the style bar |
If scrolling has no effect, check “Disable mouse wheel to adjust annotation tools” in the “Annotation” settings.
Improve readability with a stroke and background
A stroke adds color around the letter shapes; a background places a solid area behind the whole text. You can use either or both.
- Text onlyUse text alone on a simple background.
- Add a strokeColor around the letters separates them from the lines below.
- Add a backgroundA colored area behind the text has adjustable corners, padding, and opacity.
Stroke: Click the stroke button to enable it, then hover over the button to open its settings panel. Adjust “Outline Size” and choose a stroke color in the panel's palette. Click the button again to turn the stroke off.
Background: Click the background button with the rounded rectangle icon to enable it, then hover over the button to adjust:
- Opacity: How much the background covers the image below.
- Rounded corners: How rounded the background's corners are.
- Padding: The space between the text and the background edges.
- Color: The color of the whole background.
With text selected and its background enabled, hold Ctrl⌘ Command and scroll to adjust background opacity. To change the text color itself, use the palette on the right of the style bar.
Move, scale, and rotate
Select the text and move the mouse over its box to show the corner buttons. Use the border to move it and the text area to edit it.
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Move the whole text | Drag the border away from the corner buttons; hold Shift⇧ Shift to constrain movement to horizontal or vertical |
| Fine-tune the position | Hold Alt⌥ Option, then press the arrow keys |
| Rotate | Drag the top-left button; hold Shift⇧ Shift to snap to 45° increments |
| Scale | Drag the bottom-right button to enlarge or shrink the text proportionally |
| Delete the whole text | Click the delete button at the top right |
Scaling changes text size; it does not widen the text box. While typing, DeleteBackspace deletes characters. Use the top-right button to remove the entire annotation more directly.
Attach a pointer arrow
Click the arrow button at the bottom left of the text box to extend an arrow from the text. Drag the square control point at its tip to point to the place you want to explain.
The arrow belongs to the same annotation as the text. It moves, scales, and rotates with the text, and uses the same color. Click the bottom-left button again to hide it; dragging the tip back inside the text box also hides it.
Wrap long sentences automatically
In “Annotation” → “Text,” change “Automatic line wrap mode”:
| Mode | Effect |
|---|---|
| No Wrapping | Long sentences do not wrap automatically; press EnterEnter to insert line breaks when needed |
| Anywhere Wrapping | Wraps as soon as the available width is reached |
| Word Boundary or Anywhere Wrapping | The default; wraps between words first, then within words if necessary |
Automatic wrapping uses the space from the text's starting point to the image edge. Moving the text recalculates the available width. If there is too little space on the right, move the text left or split it into shorter notes. New wrapping settings apply to text annotations created afterward.
Related articles
Arrows
Draw arrows on screenshots and image pins, choose one-way, two-way, or dimension styles, adjust lines and curves, and add text along the arrow.
Serial numbers
Add step numbers to screenshots and image pins, choose number formats and styles, attach arrows and labels, and continue counting across images.